SCOTLAND THEATER REVIEWS

A new version of a classic story told like never before, bursting with sea shanties, treasures, and a sumptuous amount of adventure....

Prior to the release of the highly anticipated movie musical of the decade – WICKED: Part 1, DRIVE OFFICIAL and Òran Mór proudly present BEYOND OZ: The Concert. A celebration of the music from hit musicals Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz and a selection of classics from the Stephen Schwartz so...

When oil giants Shell announce plans to dump the defunct Brent Spar oil store in the ocean, a small group of activists have other ideas. Under the cover of night, they sail out to the North Sea and occupy the structure. As their campaign gains momentum, pressure mounts on those in power and politica...

It’s the Edinburgh Fringe and the city is suddenly bursting at the seams. Every cul-de-sac and kebab shop is alive with the effervescent fizzing of potential – it is the moment where dreams are made, and hearts are broken. See what our critic had to say. ...

A young man leaves his small hometown to find refuge in the bright lights and warm embrace of the big city; he discovers solace and joy in the city's LGBTQ+ scene, but soon finds himself navigating a terrifying unfolding health crisis, almost completely ignored by the government. See what our critic...

Watching the Blue Man Group is how I imagine a halluncinatory drug trip. From spitting out neon paint to hanging an audience member upside down to an intense rave, the blue men challenge the limits of theatre in an absurd combination of clowning, theatre and performance installations....

A train passenger is murdered - Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot (Michael Maloney) must find the culprit. Suspects are portrayed as amusing caricatures, ranging from a shrieky missionary to a mansplaining gangster and a bold American actress. The exposition drags a little as we are slowly introduced to...

After Party promises a satirical bash but feels more like an awkward hangover. Though advertised as a personal autobiography exploring the New Labour era, it comes across as a blend of political diatribes, lengthy news segments, and sporadic audience interaction....

From acclaimed comedian and writer Jonny Donahoe, Anna/Anastasia is a hilarious comedy inspired by the true story of Anna Anderson, the greatest imposter of the 20th century....

Winner of four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical in London and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical on Broadway, this smash hit show shares the incredible real-life story of the 7,000 air passengers from all over the world who were grounded in Canada during the wake of 9/11, and th...

A splendid dinner party in an Edinburgh mansion concludes with a murder mystery game created by the hostess. A murder needs to be solved. But the guests have secrets of their own, threatened by the very game they are playing....

If you’re afraid of flying, this may not be the right show for you. Flight, one of two Darkfield shows playing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024, originally ran in 2018 and had been performed at the Fringe in 2022....

Murder, She Didn’t Write is an improvised murder mystery show that has been welcoming audiences for the past ten years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. As someone who has a love for both improvisational comedy and murder mysteries who had yet to see the show, I was very interested in seeing it at...

Written by Matt Chiorini and Travis Newton, Kafka's Metamorphosis: The Musical! With Puppets! is pretty much what is written on the tin - an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis told using songs and puppets. Audience members are greeted by a performer sitting on stage, facing away from th...

Imagine this, if you will. Scientists have discovered that they are capable of cloning humans, giving them the ability to bring deceased geniuses back through new life. They have chosen to clone Mozart, but, in a twist, the hair retrieved from Mozart is actually his pubic hair, leading to the clone ...

Ania Magliano: Forgive Me, Father begins with a bit of relatable comedy - stalking people on Instagram you aren’t able to follow. For Magliano, the person she stalks is her partner’s ex, and she tells us about the different posts she has seen from her....

Celya AB: Of All People begins with a topic that some might see as taboo - money. Celya declares that she is going to be very open about money. In keeping with the themes of money and value, Celya guarantees the audience 100 jokes throughout the show, each one worth sixteen pence, though she warns t...

Amy Matthews: Commute with the Foxes begins with a surprising topic for a comedy show - conspiracy theories. And the one Matthews chooses to focus on isn’t one of your typical theories. Instead, she tells us about her belief that Francis Bourgeois, a viral trainspotter, is a government plant....

Spy Movie: The Play!, written by Matthew Howell and Jack Michael Stacey, is “The Greatest Spy Movie (n)Ever Made.” The show has quite the interesting (and meta) concept - what we are going to see is meant to be seen on the silver screen but, due to financial reasons, we are going to be seeing it...

While living in New York, I was first introduced to comedy shows through 2/3rds of A Threesome (and Friends). The show is hosted by AJ Holmes and Caitlin Cook, two singer-songwriters who created the duo known as 2/3rds of A Threesome. Holmes and Cook have brought along their “friends,” fellow co...

Have you ever seen someone in a gingerbread costume give the drag performance of their life? No? Well, you should definitely consider seeing it sometime. Swamplesque, the Australian “ogre-inspired burlesque and drag parody,” arrived at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year in the iconic Assemb...

BriTANick: Dummy, a self-described “nonlinear, freeform sketch show” is performed by Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher, the two members of BriTANick who are most well-known for their online sketch comedy as well as being writers for Saturday Night Live and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia....

Paul Williams: Mamiya 7 has a description that leaves much to the imagination. All we are told is that “Paul bought a second-hand film camera last year and it turned out the previous owner had left a used-up roll of film in it” and that this will be the theme of the show. And indeed, the descri...

Eddy Hare: This One’s On Me begins on the topic of male pattern baldness, with Hare explaining that he first had a bald spot at the age of twenty, promising to reveal it to us by the end of the show, which had already been requested by one eager audience member. But, we soon delve into the main su...

Jake Roche: Neporrhoids certainly has one of the more interesting show starts of the Fringe. Roche kneels in front of a keyboard on the stage, pulling down his trousers and simulating having an orgasm while staring directly at the audience member in front of him....